Abstract:
Squeezing gold nanowires inside a polymer case causes them to coil up into tiny springs, researchers in Singapore have found. These nanosprings store energy during the coiling process, and release it again when straightened back out.

Most nanosprings made so far have been naturally coiled and required energy to be straightened out. But Hongyu Chen and his team at Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore, have made springs that instead release energy when uncoiled.